Pedestal Bowl with Lid

This pedestal bowl was most likely a mortuary vessel made to be placed in the tomb. In life, this type of vessel would have been used for warming food. Hot coals would have been placed under the vessel through the piercings in the base. The lid lifts off and turns upside down to become another bowl, with its central knob serving as the bowl’s foot.

The designs on this stoneware bowl are similar to ones on bronze artifacts. The bird footprint motif filling the space between the perforations might allude to the bird as a conveyance for the soul of the deceased to the afterlife.